Discussion Topic

Interpreting Key Paragraphs in Francis Bacon's Essay "Of Anger"

Summary:

Francis Bacon's essay "Of Anger" examines the nature, causes, and effects of anger, providing practical advice on how to manage it. He emphasizes the importance of self-control and rationality, suggesting that understanding the triggers of anger and avoiding them can prevent its escalation. Bacon also advocates for forgiveness and patience as means to mitigate the destructive consequences of anger.

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What is the meaning of the paragraph beginning "For raising and appeasing anger" in Francis Bacon's essay "Of Anger"?

In the 1601 edition of Francis Bacon’s Essays, the essay “Of Anger” concludes with the following paragraph:

For raising and appeasing anger in another; it is done chiefly by choosing of times, when men are frowardest and worst disposed, to incense them. Again, by gathering (as was touched before) all that you can find out, to aggravate the contempt. And the two remedies are by the contraries. The former to take good times, when first to relate to a man an angry business; for the first impression is much; and the other is, to sever, as much as may be, the construction of the injury from the point of contempt; imputing it to misunderstanding, fear, passion, or what you will.

This paragraph might be paraphrased as follows:

Let me tell you how you can either make other people angry or how you can remove their anger. If you...

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want to make them angry, you should choose a time when they are most obstinate or inflexible and when they are in the worst possible mood or temper. As I mentioned earlier, you can also try to discover any fact that might make them even fuller of contempt than they were already. Likewise, if you want to try to dampen someone’s anger, there are two methods.  One method is to choose a pleasant or happy time to talk to that person about anything that might make (or has made) the person angry. After all, people often follow their first impressions; if you approach them when they are in good moods, they are more likely to be agreeable and to put aside their anger. Another method for diminishing someone’s anger is to emphasize that if you did anything to make that other person angry, you didn’t do so because you felt contempt or disrespect for that person. Instead, you should claim that you made the person angry only because you made a mistake, or because you were afraid, or because you couldn’t control your emotions, or for any other plausible reason.  Just don’t allow the person that you lacked respect or felt contempt or disdain.

The second section of Bacon’s paragraph is especially intriguing.  Just as many people today are highly offended if they think they have been disrespected (or “dissed”), so Bacon assumes the same thing about people living during his own time. He assumes that people of his day are motivated partly by pride and that they cannot stand to have their pride challenged. They may be willing to let go of their anger if they are presented with just about any other excuse to explain why someone else made them angry. However, if they feel that they have been disrespected, they will find it very difficult to let go of their anger.

Since violence and even death often results today from people who feel that they have been “dissed,” Bacon’s comments here still seem particularly relevant.

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What does the paragraph beginning with "To contain anger from mischief" mean in Bacon's essay "Of Anger"?

In the 1601 edition of Francis Bacon’s Essays, the penultimate (that is, next-to-last) paragraph reads as follows:

To contain anger from mischief, though it take hold of a man, there be two things, whereof you must have special caution. The one, of extreme bitterness of words, especially if they be aculeate and proper; for cummunia maledicta are nothing so much; and again, that in anger a man reveal no secrets; for that, makes him not fit for society. The other, that you do not peremptorily break off, in any business, in a fit of anger; but howsoever you show bitterness, do not act anything, that is not revocable.

This paragraph might be paraphrased as follows:

If you want to prevent someone’s anger from breaking out into violent conduct, even when a person is indeed angry, there are two ways in which you must really be cautious. First, you should avoid using any deeply offensive language, particularly any words that are stinging and highly personal. Avoid saying anything that seems a direct attack on a single person in particular. Commonly offensive words (such as curse words) are not particularly insulting to any specific person, but if you attack another human being in very personal terms, you are likely to make that person extremely angry. In addition, be careful, if you are expressing your anger toward someone, that you don’t say anything about that is supposed to be a secret.  If you do that, no one (not just the person you have angered) will ever trust you or consider you worthy of their company. Furthermore, never suddenly end an encounter with someone when you are angry.  Even if you show anger to someone, don’t do anything that cannot be undone. Always leave open at least the possibility of some reconciliation.

Here as in many of his essays, Bacon gives very practical advice.  He doesn’t merely theorize in highly general terms. Instead, he gets down to very specific situations and gives advice that is likely to be very useful in day-to-day conduct. One senses, when reading passages such as this one, that Bacon is either writing from personal experience or that he is writing from personal observation. He is not merely repeating clichéd or customary advice but is offering highly pragmatic and useful counsel.

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